Hydraulic jack on epoxy floors
- Thread starter houston_t
- Start date
GreenFoxEpoxy
Member
houston_t,
Most industrial epoxy products will hold up to this type of abuse with no issues, as long as the concrete is properly prepared. However, I would recommend a double full broadcast of decorative flakes. I feel that the flakes help disperse the weight of jacks, toolboxes, etc.
But if looking for a floor that has no flakes, I would just be sure to again properly prepare your substrate, and be sure to use quality epoxy products. A urethane topcoat, in my opinion, would perform the best in your situation.
Eric w/ GFE
Most industrial epoxy products will hold up to this type of abuse with no issues, as long as the concrete is properly prepared. However, I would recommend a double full broadcast of decorative flakes. I feel that the flakes help disperse the weight of jacks, toolboxes, etc.
But if looking for a floor that has no flakes, I would just be sure to again properly prepare your substrate, and be sure to use quality epoxy products. A urethane topcoat, in my opinion, would perform the best in your situation.
Eric w/ GFE
GreenFoxEpoxy
Member
A 100% solids epoxy coating with a pigmented urethane topcoat would withstand the abuse of jack stands, toolbox casters, etc. When going with a solid color epoxy floor, I would consider it a non-issue. Of course the floor has to be properly prepped and the materials have to be properly applied and cured.
A full broadcast flake system (or aggregate mix system) would be more expensive to install and maintain, but it is what I always recommend for auto shops and mechanic's garages. Not only because of its slip resistance, but because it disperses the weight of heavy objects. This system would have a clear urethane topcoat.
A high-solids solvent epoxy with a polyurethane clear coat would NOT hold up to this type of abuse. Proper prep and quality products will keep this type of damage from happening. So will protective mats, I suppose.
Eric w/ GFE
A full broadcast flake system (or aggregate mix system) would be more expensive to install and maintain, but it is what I always recommend for auto shops and mechanic's garages. Not only because of its slip resistance, but because it disperses the weight of heavy objects. This system would have a clear urethane topcoat.
A high-solids solvent epoxy with a polyurethane clear coat would NOT hold up to this type of abuse. Proper prep and quality products will keep this type of damage from happening. So will protective mats, I suppose.
Eric w/ GFE
benwah
Well-known member
Instead of using decorative flakes for your broadcast medium, use 30-50 mesh silica sand broadcast to refusal. It's much stronger, has better impact resistance and holds up to high and heavy traffic areas better than vinyl/acrylic flake.
tncatadjuster
Well-known member
GreenFoxEpoxy
Member
Silica sand would be better, absolutely. We seem to love our flakes down here in TX, though... I can honestly say I've never seen a silica sand garage floor, only have installed it in pump rooms for condos and machine shops. The flakes help disperse weight; a double full broadcast system is a common floor system around here. Even Sherwin Williams stocks it by the ton.
mybuick6
Well-known member
i wouldn't slide the jack sideways or slide the stand either it could peel up the coating.
Shea
Well-known member
Paint will do this, but not a properly installed epoxy coated system. Particularly if you are using a good polyurethane as a top coat.
retfr8flyr
Well-known member
I did my floor last year with full flakes and urethane top coat and I have dragged my floor jack around on it a lot and it doesn't even show. The only thing I do for protection is I use a small piece of 1/4 inch plywood under the jack stands, just to spread out the load.
tncatadjuster
Well-known member
I respect the comments from the floor pros but find it hard to believe that diy epoxy floors would be tough enough against repeated drops or gouges from jack stands. My only expectations with diy epoxy floors would be that repairs to the epoxy finish would be relatively simple touchups and that hot tire pickup would be a thing of the past.
retfr8flyr
Well-known member
Well I guess it all depends on what product you use for your "do it yourself" floor. I used a quality product and not much hurts my floor. Last year I dropped my drill from the top of an 8 ft ladder. The drill landed drill point down when it hit the floor. The drill bit was bent but I looked very hard and couldn't find where it hit the floor.
I don't know about others, I can only speak from my experience and I can tell you that I can drag my floor jack across the floor and it does no visible damage.
mikeyr
Well-known member
Why would a diy floor be any different from a pro's floor ? Granted if the diy got his epoxy from the back of Joe's Floors van maybe it would not be as good (who knows might be better without EPA and OSHA rules in it), but assuming the diy is smart and gets the quality stuff, it should work exactly the same as a pro installation.
A pro is not a magician who does a better job by waving a magic wand, he is merely someone who hopefully uses quality products and knows how do to the job which is something the diy can learn pretty easily right here. I see a pro as someone willing to do the same backbreaking job I can do when I don't want to.
tncatadjuster
Well-known member
If properly prepared, a DIY floor should be of equivalent performance as a pro.
I doubt that many do a perfect job, which I'm expected to do, but should be a good floor.
Prep is the main thing, but some guys could not blow bubbles if you paid them.
Diamond grinding by DIY does not equal a pro shot blast.
I doubt that many do a perfect job, which I'm expected to do, but should be a good floor.
Prep is the main thing, but some guys could not blow bubbles if you paid them.
Diamond grinding by DIY does not equal a pro shot blast.
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benwah
Well-known member
DIY doesn't equal lesser quality.
If you're talking about a one coat application of some sub-par epoxy applied at 3-4 mils DFT you have a point.
If you're talking about a 100% solids 20-40+ mil DFT single or double broadcast floor with a hard polyurethane you'd be surprised what they can hold up to. I see them in industrial applications all the time hold up to heavy forklift traffic, repeated dropping of parts, chemical spills, loaded pallets being dragged, chemical wash-downs and much more. You pay for what you get. Just because a pro didn't install it doesn't mean it's ****. Surface prep, proper application, and quality products make a great floor.
retfr8flyr
Well-known member
Exactly, my floor was done with the following procedures, prepped by oil stain removal, grinding, crack filling. Then primer coat, 100% solids main epoxy coat, flake mixture 100% to rejection, excess flakes scrapped off and vacuumed up and finally 2 coats of Poly Urethane clear topcoat. My material was Wolverine products, which is some of the best material available.
I don't think a professional could have done any better with my floor then I did. Unfortunately the man that handled the do-it-yourself section for Wolverine Products has had serious health problems and the products are unavailable currently. Hopefully Fred will get back on his feet soon and will be well enough to be back in business.
Thanks... good information to know about epoxy floors for the garage. I don't plan on dragging jack stands or dropping heavy items but the benefits of epoxy floors are very clear and are positive for resale value versus cost.
Prob too late to ask this now but is the kit I bought any good ? Just now heard of all these other brands of epoxy kits about 2 weeks ago when I ran across this forum. Before that I was going to go with the rustoleum kit. I read a couple good reviews about epoxy-coat on here and they are local to me so I figured I would give it a shot
Shea
Well-known member
It's not that they are bad, they just aren't a good value for your money in the long run. It also depends on what you expect to get out of one of these kits. I suggest you read this article to learn a bit more about what you purchased.
600SL
Well-known member
No issues with jacks or jack stands even on my low quality HD Rustoleum install. But if you are concerned I welded 12 ga plates to the bottom of 4 of my jack stands for use on asphalt. Asphalt needs a backing, epoxy over concrete does not.
My Rustoleum failed prematurely. It was professionally installed, but it never failed due to a jack stand or floor jack. It just pealed up during its second winter every time it got cold out. Attached is a picture when I was getting ready to redo the garage and just after the initial install.
My Rustoleum failed prematurely. It was professionally installed, but it never failed due to a jack stand or floor jack. It just pealed up during its second winter every time it got cold out. Attached is a picture when I was getting ready to redo the garage and just after the initial install.
Attachments
That article seemed to cover the rustoleum and quickrete I did not purchase either one of those but is what I just purchased similar to that ?
Shea
Well-known member
Ahh, my mistake. No, what you purchased is a good product. 100% solids epoxy. There are many happy reviews on this forum from people who have used Epoxy-Coat. My only recommendation would be to apply a polyurethane top coat to it to finish it off.